1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a centrifuge and a centrifuging method of separating a fluid to which a large centrifugal force is applied and a fluid to which a smaller centrifugal force is applied by adjusting the rotation speed using the principle that centrifugal force during rotation varies according to specific components of a fluid. Thus, using the centrifuge and the centrifugal method, materials can be centrifuged and layers of the materials can be classified and collected accurately and easily.
2. Background Art
The centrifuge and the centrifugal method according to the present invention can be applied to any material that can move in a downward direction on a surface slanted against the direction of gravity such as liquid, powder, gel, mixture of liquid and solid, colloid, solids having a form near to spheres, etc.
A centrifuge is an apparatus for separating materials using centrifugal force that is generated when an object is rotated. The centrifuge can be classified according to the amount of a sample to be centrifuged, the rotation speed, the rotor, etc.
A centrifuge is used in biotechnology to separate cells mixed in a liquid or a material having greater weight and adhesive force than a liquid. Recently, intensive research on adult stem cells has been conducted, and a centrifugal method of separating a small amount of stem cells from a large amount of adult tissues (fat, bone-marrow, etc.) is currently being researched.
As a centrifuge used in biotechnology is required to separate human body cells without destroying them, a smaller centrifugal force is used for separating human body cells than when separating a general material. The centrifugal force required for centrifuging of cells is 100 G maximum, usually lower than this. Here, G denotes a gravitational constant. Since a centrifugal force is exerted as gravity in a centrifuge, a centrifugal force will be represented using the unit ‘G’.
When a complex fluid such as blood is centrifuged using a centrifuge in biotechnology laboratory, the fluid is divided into several layers according to the specific gravity of each element of the complex fluid. Here, a complex fluid refers to a liquid that includes semisolids such as fine solid components or gel and has a broader range than a polymer; hereinafter, it will be referred to as ‘fluid’.